Method, system, and computer program for automated offloading of subscribers during mobility management equipment failures

Abstract

Automated offloading of subscribers in a system having a set of mobility management entities (MMEs) during mobility management equipment failures is provided. Each MME maintains performance status and location information about all MMEs. When an MME senses performance degradation the traffic directed to that MME is allocated among the remaining MMEs in the set.

What is claimed: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 determining, by a first network element of a first set of network elements of a network, a performance status for each network element of the first set of network elements, wherein each network element of the first set of network elements is a mobility management entity (MME) or access and mobility management function (AMF); 
 sending status requests from the first network element to a second set of network elements of the network, wherein each network element of the second set of network elements is a mobility management entity (MME) or access and mobility management function (AMF); 
 receiving, at the first network element, status information for each network element in the second set of network elements; 
 maintaining, at the first network element, the status information for each network element in the second set of network elements; 
 determining, at the first network element, a degradation in performance, wherein the degradation in performance comprises software process failures; and 
 autonomously allocating, by the first network element, network traffic directed to the first network element to the second set of network elements based on the determined performance status for each network element of the first set of network elements. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  wherein each MME is a virtual MME. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first set of network elements communicate via 3GPP Point-to-Point interfaces or service based interfaces. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the service based interfaces comprises Representational state transfer application programming interfaces (REST API). 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1  wherein the first network element and each network element in the second set of network elements comprise virtual network functions. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1  wherein the first network element and each network element in the second set of network elements are located at a cloud location. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the degradation in performance is based on a partial network outage or a partial virtual machine outage on the first network element. 
     
     
       8. A system comprising:
 a memory for storing computer instructions; 
 a processor coupled with the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the computer instructions, performs operations comprising:
 determining, by a first network element of a first set of network elements of a network, a performance status for each network element of the first set of network elements, wherein each network element of the first set of network elements is an access and mobility management function (AMF); 
 sending status requests from the first network element to a second set of network elements of the network, wherein each network element of the second set of network elements is an access and mobility management function (AMF); 
 receiving, at the first network element, status information for each network element in the second set of network elements; 
 maintaining at the first network element the status information for each network element in the second set of network elements; 
 determining, at the first network element, a degradation in performance, wherein the degradation in performance comprises software process failures; and 
 autonomously allocating, by the first network element, network traffic directed to the first network element to the second set of network elements based on the determined performance status for each network element of the first set of network elements. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 8  wherein each AMF is a virtual AMF. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 8  wherein the first set of network elements communicate via 3GPP Point-to-Point interfaces or service based interfaces. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 10  wherein the service based interfaces comprises Representational state transfer application programming interfaces (REST API). 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 8  wherein the first network element and each network element in the second set of network elements comprise virtual network functions. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 8  wherein the first network element and each network element in the second set of network elements are located at a cloud location. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 8  wherein network traffic is allocated based on 3GPP application layer policy control. 
     
     
       15. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:
 determining, by a first network element of a first set of network elements of a network, a performance status for each network element of the first set of network elements, wherein each network element of the first set of network elements is a mobility management entity (MME) or access and mobility management function (AMF); 
 sending status requests from the first network element to a second set of network elements of the network, wherein each network element of the second set of network elements is a mobility management entity (MME) or access and mobility management function (AMF); 
 receiving, at the first network element, status information for each network element in the second set of network elements; 
 maintaining, at the first network element, the status information for each network element in the second set of network elements; 
 determining, at the first network element, a degradation in performance, wherein the degradation in performance comprises software process failures; and 
 autonomously allocating, by the first network element, network traffic directed to the first network element to the second set of network elements based on the determined performance status for each network element of the first set of network elements. 
 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of  claim 15  wherein each MME is a virtual MME. 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of  claim 16  wherein the first set of network elements communicate via 3GPP Point-to-Point interfaces or service based interfaces. 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of  claim 17  wherein the service based interfaces comprises Representational state transfer application programming interfaces (REST API). 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of  claim 15  wherein the first network element and each network element in the second set of network elements comprise virtual network functions. 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the first network element and each network element in the second set of network elements are located at a cloud location.